What are large wax caterpillars capable of doing? Scientists discover caterpillars that eat plastic bags

The big moth is the enemy of bees, but it can be useful for humans. In the beekeeping season, it's time to remember the enemies of bees, which bring serious problems, in order to take action in time. Oh big wax moth, the dangers and benefits of butterfly offspring will be written below.

The large wax moth is a species dangerous insects that infect honeycombs. In Latin, the insect is called Galleria melonella. The moth, like most gray representatives, is activated at night. The larvae of the pest eat wax, this is the main type of food they eat. In addition to wax, the larvae can feed on foods such as:

1. Pollen.
2. Mother's milk.
3. Chitin - death of bees.

Some beekeepers claim that a large moth can also eat propolis. Others report that the caterpillar eats only wax and propolis, which accidentally penetrates there.

This insect is a subspecies of the wax moth. It looks like a moth 2 cm long, and if you take into account the wingspan, then the size reaches 3-3.5 cm. The male is smaller than the female. It has a length of about 1.6 cm. The wings are smoky gray in front, yellowish-brown along the border, and the back pair of wings is pale grayish with dark patches. On the head of the moth you can see large eyes and antennae. The male has a round head. Along the edge behind the front wings there is a deepened fossa with a lush black fringe.

When the male is not moving, his wings are folded. If you press on the belly from behind, the copulatory organ will protrude. Males lure females with a specific aroma that they emit.

The female has an elongated head, on which the proboscis is located. The body of females includes 10 segments, if you press on it, an elongated ovipositor will appear. The color and size of the moth may vary. It depends on the quality of the combs that the caterpillar ate when it developed in the hive. mouth and digestive system pests are poorly developed. An adult individual does not eat, but lives off those elements that it absorbed when it was a caterpillar, before pupation.

How does an insect reproduce, and what is its danger

Butterflies leave the cocoon in the morning, from about 6:00 to 11:00, but they can also go outside in the evening - about 17:00. Moths leave the entrance hole and attach themselves to horizontal surface on the hive.

If the butterfly has not left the bee house in the morning, it sits there until it gets dark. After 3-4 hours, individuals begin to mate. A couple of days after mating, the female insect begins laying eggs. The masonry is in cracks, walls, ceiling surface, frames and honeycombs themselves.

A butterfly lays up to 100 eggs in 1 place, then the same number in another place. For 26 days of existence, the moth lays approximately 2000 eggs. The eggs are white, have a round or slightly oval shape, their size is from 0.5 to 0.35 mm.

The caterpillar develops up to 8 days. When she leaves the egg, she is a millimeter in size. The body is thicker in front than behind, the head is light yellow in color, slightly flattened. The caterpillar has 8 legs and 2 bristles at the back of the body. They are the ones that cause harm. The first 20 minutes the caterpillar moves weakly. She is slowly moving into lower part hive. After a quarter of an hour, the larva becomes more mobile, eats honey from open holes, and sometimes can eat pollen. Then the caterpillar begins to devour the wax.

Eaten is digested thanks to a special enzyme and intestinal microflora. After the wax moth larvae have eaten the wax, they can continue to eat the feces of previous generations. 1 pest larva eats about 0.4 kg of wax during its life.

On the 2nd day, the caterpillars begin to build passages, more often along the edges of the combs near uncovered holes with bee bread. After 8 days, the caterpillars reach the mediastinum. The pest closes its passage, which resembles a tunnel, with a cobweb, so that the bees cannot get the larvae. Over time, the tunnel grows in diameter, and the cobweb becomes stronger.

In some places of the tunnel, the caterpillars make holes and defecate through them. The feces of the larvae are like gunpowder, while the feces of butterflies are in the form of round balls. Caterpillars prefer dark combs, which include a large number of remnants of cocoons than lined up not so long ago.

A middle-aged caterpillar of white-gray coloring, a brown head. The body is approximately 1.8 cm long and consists of 13 parts. In the middle, the body is wide and becomes narrower towards the front and back. An elderly caterpillar stops eating, hides in a place sheltered from bees, for example, in a corner, crack or seam, begins to spin a cocoon and pupates.

Usually the pupae are arranged close to each other. Initially they are white, but over time they become darker. After 4 days they become light brown, and darken before leaving the pupa. Pupa length female bee moth 1.6 cm, and male - 1.4 cm.

For 12 months, the butterfly produces 3 generations. It develops at a temperature regime of + 32 ° С. The entire period of development is 47 days, and in the hive - 63 days. If the temperature regime is +20°C and below, then the moth caterpillars grow more slowly, and at +10°C development stops. At low temperature conditions butterfly and caterpillars die.

Firefly does not only harm, it can also be useful. Butterflies are bred and used for various purposes:

1. For research in zoology.
2. As a test object for the study of bacterial substances.
3. For breeding entomophages, which are needed in the countryside to protect crops.

But, most often, a large moth, or rather its caterpillars, is used as a raw material for obtaining a bioactive substance. It should be noted that moth caterpillars are the only insects that eat beeswax.

Caterpillars have long been used in alternative medicine to create various medicines. For these purposes, the caterpillar was used in ancient countries, for example, in Egypt and in Greece. But until the 19th century treated exclusively by physicians. At the end of the 19th century the famous scientist I. I. Mechnikov studied the moth caterpillar well, suggested using medicines based on medicinal purposes, in the treatment of tuberculosis.

I.I. Mechnikov proposed to destroy the wax shell of the Koch stick with the enzymes of the wax moth caterpillars, which eat the wax of bees. During the study of caterpillars and moths, the biologist realized that funds from middle-aged larvae that are ready to pupate have no effect on Koch's wand. For use in medicine, only young larvae up to 1.5 cm in size can be used.

Thanks to I.I. For Mechnikov, the butterfly became an incentive for further research. S. A. Mukhin became the initiator of subsequent studies of the great moth. The life of a homeopathic cardiologist was dramatic. He grew up in a family where all relatives were ill with tuberculosis, from which his mother and 2 newborn children died. Mukhin himself did not escape tuberculosis, but thanks to healers who knew the secret of propolis and bee moth, he was cured.

With his works, Mukhin S.A. confirmed the therapeutic effect of funds based on a large moth. The doctor opened it medical effect with pathologies of the heart and blood vessels. Proved the ability to eliminate scars in this way after a person had a myocardial infarction. Professor S.I. Metalnikov proved the incredible resistance of large moth caterpillars to plague and diphtheria pathogens.

Pest control methods

It is necessary to fight the moth in the apiary and warehouses where honeycombs and wax products are stored. In the apiary, it is periodically necessary to inspect families affected by moths. Caterpillars must be caught and destroyed.

The bottom of the hives, the upper bars of the frames should be cleaned. Bees should be kept on a compressed nest. All these measures in practice provide excellent result. To drive the larvae out of the combs, you need to get the frames and lightly tap them. The opening of the moth passages with a sharp knife will bring benefits. Thanks to this, the bees will clean the tunnels and rebuild the damaged combs in a new way.

Heavily damaged combs must be removed from the hive, and nests removed from them. Families that have been examined must be provided with a supply of food and warmed.

If moths are found in warehouses where honeycombs and wax raw materials are stored, urgent action must be taken. Severely damaged honeycombs, unsuitable for further use, and all wax raw materials must be melted.

Unaffected or slightly damaged combs, which can be used in the future, must be treated with a special tool. Disinsection is carried out in the same way as during preventive measures. In the fight against large moths and its larvae, they help low temperatures. If you hold the honeycomb at -10 ° C for half an hour, then the butterflies and larvae will die.

If moth larvae are found, they must be removed. mechanically. As a result of multiple hits on the frame, caterpillars will fall out of the honeycombs. They must be collected and burned.

Of the chemicals, Ascomolin can be used. It needs to be framed. As already noted, honeycombs can be frozen. However, this is an extreme measure, since after the cold the perga will lose its properties. Specialists process honeycombs:

• various gases;
• Timol;
• Antimol.

You can burn sulfur, then the larvae will beg for mercy, as a result they will die. Females are captured using PAK-100 (male synthetic enzyme). In addition to treatment, it is necessary to carry out prevention. Need to develop strong families, which can defend themselves against the attack of a large moth.

Warehouses for storing honeycombs and rejects should be ventilated and systematically cleaned. It is necessary to practice closed storage of combs. In the apiary, it is necessary to regularly inspect the colonies affected by the pest, catch and destroy the larvae, clean the bottom, the top of the frames, and keep the bees on a compressed nest.

Healing tincture

A tincture made from wax moth caterpillars has excellent medicinal properties. Caterpillar extract is an antiviral and antibacterial agent that has a wide range of effects. The extract includes bioactive elements that are given by bees, substances that stimulate cell growth, the most important macro- and microelements for the body, a lot of Zn and Mg.

The extract is very effective and slightly toxic, perfectly stored and does not give negative side effects, unlike many chemical and pharmacological preparations.

Friends, beekeeping season is just around the corner! In some regions of our vast Motherland, bees have already made their first flight. But, unfortunately, on greater territory The weather of the Russian state is in no hurry to pamper us. It's time to remember about those that give us a lot of problems in order to take action in a timely manner and without delay.

This post will talk about a big wax moth or, as it is also called, bee moth(Galleria mellonella).

Wax moth pest of pests! There is no beekeeper to whom the wax moth would not cause trouble at least once during the period of beekeeping. What kind of "beast" is this?

Wax moth is large and small. Consider a large wax moth.

This is a night butterfly whose caterpillars feed on wax and other goodies from the bee nest. It is distributed almost everywhere. Where there are bees, there are wax moths. Except, perhaps, only in the highlands, where the climate is quite severe.

The size of a butterfly, an adult (adult), is about two centimeters. Wingspan up to 3.5 cm. Has two pairs of wings. The forewings are ash-colored, yellowish-brown towards the hind edge, and the hind wings are gray with dark dashes along the posterior edge. The oral apparatus is underdeveloped. The eyes are compound (consisting of many small eyes). On the head there are antennae, which consist of 60 segments.

Male and female have different sizes. The female is larger. The male wax moth has a length of about 15-16 millimeters. The wings of the male at the rear edge have a deep notch with a black fringe. The head is round, while in females it is elongated. Main hallmark, nevertheless, I consider a difference in the sizes.

Mating takes place literally a couple of hours after the butterflies emerge from their cocoons. And after two or three days, the female begins laying eggs. During the day, the female bee moth lays up to hundreds of eggs in the most various parts bee nest: all kinds of cracks, recesses, cells of honeycombs, in uneven frames, in folds of laps and insulating pillows. The wax moth lives up to 26 days and can lay up to 2,000 eggs in its lifetime.

The eggs that the female lays are oval and White color. At a temperature of 30-35 degrees, development lasts from eight to ten days, and at a lower temperature - longer. The eggs develop into larvae.

The larva (caterpillar) has eight pairs of limbs. There are three pairs of thoracic limbs with a jointed structure. Abdominal - four pairs and they look like warts. The rear pair is called "pushers", at the ends of which there are peculiar hooks. During its stay in caterpillar form, the wax moth molts ten times.

Already at the age of one day, moth larvae can actively move and are able to move from one family of bees to another. They walk up to 50 meters a day!

The full development cycle of a large wax moth is about two months, and with a decrease in temperature environment development is delayed for a longer period.

At an air temperature of 8 degrees, the development of the larvae stops. She goes into suspended animation. In this state, the caterpillar can be without damage to itself for up to several months. After the temperature rises above 8 degrees, the larva returns to its former life and continues its development cycle.

The larva of the bee moth, after leaving the egg, immediately seeks to get into the honeycomb. There she makes exits for herself in both directions, which she tightens with a web. Continuing to make a tunnel in the honeycomb, she closes all the holes that connect her stroke with external environment. This is a kind of protection - in such a tunnel the caterpillar is inaccessible to bees. The course becomes thicker, longer, and the yarn from the web is stronger over time.

From time to time the larva exposes back his body out and defecate. The feces of wax moth larvae are spherical or oblong in shape and almost black in color.

Honeycomb afflicted with wax moth

After some time, the larva stops feeding and moves to a secluded place. Such a place can be a crack, a seam in a hive, all kinds of bumps and depressions. Then she spins herself a dense cocoon and pupates. Often, the caterpillars preliminarily gnaw out a place for themselves under the cocoon. Cocoons are often located close to each other. The development of the pupa lasts about two weeks.

The bee moth gives two to four generations of offspring. The full development of the caterpillar requires about 0.4 grams of wax. This is pretty decent, given the massive presence of wax moths in apiaries. One larva can destroy up to five hundred cells in a honeycomb.

In one of the following articles, we will consider in detail the measures to combat wax moth in our apiaries.

In nature, their neighborhood is more like a symbiosis: the moth does not damage the main hive, but settles on old combs, making room for new construction. In apiaries, the wax moth is one of the main enemies, it is able to force the bees to leave the housing, literally flooding it.

Behind one name are 2 closely related species of insects - a small and a large wax moth. It is rather difficult to distinguish them: both are gray or yellowish, with similar habits and nutrition. A large wax moth is quite large - up to 3.5 cm in wingspan, very prolific and voracious, capable of not only eating out the walls of the honeycombs, but also making holes through their bottoms. Small wax moth reaches 2.5 cm, causes damage only on one side of the comb and reproduces at a slower rate.

Stages of development

Firefly - an insect with full cycle development, this means that each individual goes through several stages: a larva hatches from an egg, after a while it turns into a chrysalis, and then into a sexually mature insect - a butterfly.

Butterflies are not able to eat, their mouth apparatus is atrophied. The life expectancy of the female is less than 2 weeks, the male is about a month. All this time they exist due to the substances accumulated in the larval stage. Their goal is to mate, find appropriate place and lay eggs. The moth prefers to settle in a hive with weak bee colonies, in waste thrown out from apiaries, in storages with wax raw materials.

With the onset of twilight and the end of the flight of the bees, moths make their way into their homes and lay batches of eggs on the bottom, walls, in the cracks between the frames, less often in the cells of the honeycombs. The eggs are very small, literally fractions of a millimeter, and their number is huge - from several hundred to a couple of thousand over the entire lifetime. After about a week, light-colored larvae with a brown head hatch from them.

At first, the caterpillars eat honey and bee bread, and then they switch to wax and the remains of cocoons. To stock up enough nutrients, they absorb food without stopping, literally destroying the honeycomb.

After a month of active destruction of the hive, wax moth larvae look for a secluded place and move on to the next stage - they pupate. The pupae are quite large - 1.5 - 2.5 cm, arranged in groups. At the beginning of development, they are light beige, then darken to brown-brown. At a comfortable temperature for them, about 30 ° C, butterflies fly out in a week. If the hive is colder, the development of pupae can be extended up to a month.

moth detection

Bee moth larvae, emerging from the eggs of one butterfly, can destroy up to 30 kg of wax raw materials, so it is very important to detect them in time.

To identify the wax moth in the apiary, yeast, honey and bee bread are added to the water, the solution is poured into bowls and placed near the hives at night. The smell attracts butterflies, they climb into the water and drown.

If there are few larvae in the hive or they are still small, they can be detected by the long tangled web left in the corners with small dark pieces inside. These are the excrement of the wax moth. You can find the larvae in the combs by lightly tapping on the slats of the frames, the vibration of the caterpillars falls out of their shelters.

Survival in difficult conditions

In addition to high fecundity, the excellent adaptability of its larvae to the life of its larvae helps to capture new territories of the bee moth:

1. Caterpillars of the bee moth, in case of a shortage of honey and wax, feed on any beehive debris, gnaw wooden frames, fabric, insulation, polyethylene, the feces of their fellows and even engage in cannibalism.
2. Moving around the hive, they make a whole network of intersecting tunnels in the wax. It is almost impossible to get pests out of them without causing additional damage.
3. To protect themselves from bees, the larva wraps its passages in the combs with a silky thread in the form of a stocking and moves inside them.
4. When the temperature drops to 8°C, they do not die, but stop developing, fall into suspended animation, and in this state wait for warming.

The wax moth butterfly has the most sensitive hearing organs of all the previously studied inhabitants of our planet. It is able to sense sound frequencies up to 300 kHz. For comparison, a person hears sounds up to 22 kHz, dolphins - 160 kHz. Scientists suggest that this feature helps moths to protect themselves from bats, as well as find a mate at a considerable distance and detect bee hives.

Damage

Strong bee families quite successfully resist the wax moth, they do not let butterflies inside, they watch the entrance all day, seal them with propolis, kill only the hatched larvae. Frequent raids of this pest distract bees from making honey, slow down the process of their reproduction, and reduce the amount of bee products produced.

The larvae in the hive also cause significant damage:

• damage the brood by gnawing at the pupae;
• excrement of wax moth larvae and the web they produce stick to the body of bees and disrupt molting;
• leaking honey pollutes the hive;
• highly bred pests smell unpleasant and the bee tends to leave its home.

Especially severe harm wax moth inflicts on a bee family until its death in a warm climate, at high temperatures its development is faster and 2-3 generations have time to change in a year.

Medicinal properties of moth

Traditional medicine ascribes a lot of useful properties to bee moth larvae: unique enzymes that help the insect digest wax can also cope with a number of microorganisms inside a person.

Tinctures, elixirs, extracts are prepared from caterpillars and accompanied by a whole list of indications: from colds to heart disease and tuberculosis.

The moth can also be grown outside the hive. To control development, the larvae are kept in transparent containers filled with beekeeping waste. Caterpillars collected during the most active period are used before the start of preparation for pupation.

Breeding wax moth for cooking medicines takes place in separate rooms high temperature. As a rule, they do this at home in apiaries to get additional income or in small firms producing biological food supplements.

Preparations from larvae do not have proven effectiveness; no studies confirming the unusual properties of moths have been conducted. official medicine does not use such means. Moreover, scientists argue that the claimed miraculous enzyme is not familiar to science, and even if it existed, it would simply be digested in the patient's gastrointestinal tract without reaching its goal.

And yet the wax moth brings benefits. Its larvae are used instead of small mammals for scientific experiments in the field of toxicology, genetics, the study of immunity. Large larvae that are easy to raise make an excellent food for poultry and exotic animals. In European countries, their sale in frozen form has been established precisely for these purposes.

The danger is not the wax moth itself (popularly - shashel), but its larvae. They are able to survive from a hive of bees, and the beekeeper will lose a whole family. Butterflies live in hives and lay their eggs there. Methods of control can be divided into those that are used to destroy the pest on the frame in the hive and those that include the fight against the wax moth in the honeycomb.

Characteristics of fire

At the butterfly oral apparatus no, she does not eat bee products, but the larvae are able to destroy everything that is in the hive:

• pergu;
• pollen;
• Propolis;
• Mother's milk.

These creatures are unique in that they are able to process wax, which no one else can do except them. Under natural conditions, only strong bees can fight the wax moth on their own, the weak ones simply leave the occupied nest and look for another home.

In the apiary, the fight against shashel is one of the main concerns of the beekeeper. To make it easier to deal with the pest, its primary task is to maintain the health of the bee family, and then you don’t have to think about how to get rid of the wax moth and its larvae on the frames.

Night butterflies of the moth family are the most dangerous insects for bees.

A large wax moth is larger than a small one, its wingspan reaches 35 mm. The moth is inconspicuous in appearance. Like all night butterflies, it is dim. The coloration of the wings is dominated by brownish and gray colors. The lower wings are lighter than the upper ones. The adult lives off the reserves it accumulated as a larva.

Lifespan varies from 2 weeks for females to 3 weeks for males. In one clutch, the female can lay up to 300 eggs.

High fecundity endangers the entire life of the bees.

1. After 10 days, larvae will appear from the eggs, and then caterpillars, and the question of how to urgently get rid of the wax moth on the frames will become more than relevant.
2. With enhanced nutrition, the larvae grow rapidly, and in the caterpillar stage, the insect reaches a length of up to 35 mm.
3. A month later, the caterpillar pupates, but first it forms a cocoon.
4. After 10 days, new butterflies will appear, which after 2 weeks are ready to bring offspring.

For the season with favorable weather conditions can be replaced by 3 generations of wax moth.

Preventive measures

The problem is easier to prevent, so everyone who has connected his life with bees should take preventive measures to keep losses to a minimum. These methods include:

For the purpose of prevention, plants are planted on the territory of the apiary and around it, the smell of which repels moths. These include:

• Mint and lemon balm;
• Pelargonium;
• Sagebrush;
• Marigold.

To prevent the butterfly from getting into the hive, beekeepers place bowls with a mixture of bee bread and honey next to it. This should be done in the evening, when the bees no longer fly. The moth is nocturnal and in the morning it will be possible to collect butterflies drowned in honey. Yeast is added to the moth bait, it is noticed that the effectiveness of such a mixture is higher.

Attracts a butterfly and the smell of vinegar. It must be diluted in water and also put a container next to the hive.

So that the larvae from the infected hive do not crawl into a clean one, some beekeepers arrange a water barrier: they dig the hive in which the larvae hatched around the perimeter, make a groove and fill it with water.

Honeycombs need to be systematically checked for the presence of a pest. When detected, action is taken immediately. Bees must freely penetrate into any corner of the hive, so they can fight intruders.

The worker bee itself is able to neutralize the pest, it simply eats it. When a pupa is found, it seals it with propolis, and the pupa dies. Guard bees are responsible for penetrating the enemy hive, they certainly know how to get rid of the presence of wax moth on the frames - they simply do not let the larva into the hive.

The presence of wax in the apiary attracts moths, so you should avoid storing supplies in the same place where the bees live. To prevent the transfer of larvae from one body with dry land to another when storing them in a column, you need to lay a film or oilcloth on the cover of each, and even better - newspapers (the moth cannot stand the smell of printing ink).

Ways to protect against wax moth

Control methods can be divided into:

• Chemical;
• Mechanical;
• Biological.

biological method

It involves the use of plants whose smell repels moths.

Leaves showed themselves well in the fight against wax moth walnut. In early autumn, they are collected and dried. Dried hops can be added to the walnut leaf. The frames are poured with this mixture and stored in this form in the winter.

Another proven remedy for combating wax moths in the cell storage is mint. Cover the bottom of the box with stems and leaves, tightly set frames in it, on top of which lay another layer of mint. Good cell protection Bay leaf, laid out below and above the frames.

If there are already larvae in the hive, a peppermint solution is used against them. For bees, it is absolutely harmless, and for a pest it is destructive. To prepare the solution, you will need peppermint tincture and water in a ratio of approximately 1: 2. This solution is poured in a small amount between frames overnight. In the morning, a “harvest” of larvae is harvested, from which a medicinal extract known as is prepared.

mechanical way

It consists in shaking out the larvae from the honeycombs. To do this, you need to get the frame and knock on it. Vibration makes pests leave nooks and crannies. They fall out of the honeycombs, and the beekeeper can only collect them.

The fight against wax moth in a cell store is to ensure good ventilation and temperature. Many beekeepers hang honeycombs for the winter in the attic or in a specially designated room with an additional window for ventilation.

Improvised and special chemicals

Salt has a detrimental effect on wax moth larvae; it does not pose a danger to bees. Before being sent for storage, the combs are sprayed strong mortar salt, in fact - brine. After drying, a white salt layer forms on the frames and honeycombs, which protects the dry land from moths. In the spring, this layer will need to be washed off by the same spraying, but not with a solution, but with clean water.

The frames are stored in a cell storage and in a tightly closed case. In this case, vinegar essence will help from shashel:

1. A container with 4 - 5 spoons of essence is placed at the bottom of the hive.
2. From above, the frames are covered with polyethylene so that the acetic vapors do not come out as long as possible.
3. At the same time, it is very important to close the entrances tightly so that the butterflies do not get inside when the vinegar vapors still evaporate.

When using essence, two goals are achieved:

• The larvae die
• The hive is disinfected, and this is the prevention of bee diseases.

If the framed wire is made of a material that rusts, this method cannot be used.

There are also special means to fight larvae, as well as adult insects. StopMol plates are hung between the frames in the cases. The smell disappears over time, so periodically you have to check if the mole has wound up, and if necessary, change the plates.

The best and effective way how to get rid of the presence of wax moth larvae on the frames is based on their thermophilicity. In the cold they die.

Some beekeepers specifically for freezing sushi acquire chest freezer. It fits a lot of frames at the same time. In the absence of a chest or a large freezer, honeycombs are frozen out in stages:

1. Remove frames in one case.
2. Put them in the refrigerator.
3. After a couple of days, they start processing another case.

Conscientious beekeepers do not recommend fumigating a hive with sulfur, as this can adversely affect the quality of honey.

The wax moth is a butterfly belonging to the moth family. It has a harmless appearance, while it is capable of causing serious damage to beekeeping.

That is why, it would seem, beekeepers should destroy them with special zeal, but they are in no hurry to do this and even, on the contrary, breed wax moths in separate hives. They do this because the larvae of these insects have unique medicinal properties which help to treat a large number of diseases.

Adults are nocturnal and live in places where beekeeping is developed, they are pests of hives.

The appearance of the wax moth

There are two types of wax moth: a large wax moth or bee fire moth and a small wax moth, which is also called a moth or moth.

In a large wax moth, the wingspan varies between 30-35 millimeters. The forewings are painted gray-brown, combined with brown-yellow tones. And the hind wings are light beige.

The wingspan of the small wax moth is 16-24 millimeters. Its color is lighter than that of a large moth - the front wings are gray-brown, and the hind wings are silvery.

The wax moth has underdeveloped mouth organs, so the adult does not feed, and its vital activity is carried out thanks to the reserves accumulated at the development stage.

Wax moth larvae have a white body color, while the head is yellowish. The length of the body reaches 8 millimeters. Growing up, the larvae become dark gray, and grow up to 2 centimeters in length.

Wax moth development

The life expectancy of adult females is 7-12 days, and males - 10-26 days. Wax moths live in bee hive. Females lay about 300 eggs in the gaps of the hive. After 8 days, larvae emerge from them.

At the initial stages of development, wax moth larvae eat bee bread, royal jelly and honey. Older larvae destroy wax frames. They do in honeycombs long tunnels, braiding them with cobwebs, so the owners of the hive cannot get them.

After about a month, the larva makes a strong cocoon, fixing it in the corner of the hive, after which it pupates. After 9-10 days, the pupa transforms into a butterfly.

In one season, 3 generations of wax moth can develop. The entire period of development of the insect is 47-63 days. If holding on subzero temperature, then these pests die at any stage of their development.

The harmfulness of the wax moth

The larvae of these butterflies cause serious harm honey bees. They destroy the wax and make a large number of tunnels in the combs, in which feces and cobwebs remain.

Honey flows through the holes made by the wax moth. In addition, honey loses its presentation. Adult larvae destroy not only wax, they also feed on honey reserves. Among other things, the larvae of these pests can attack the owners of the hives.

From the harm caused by the wax moth, the bee family can die, so the bees often have to leave their homes.

How bees fight wax moth

If possible, the bees try to destroy the pests. The guard bees catch the butterflies and throw them out. Worker bees look for pupae of strangers, and wall them up with propolis, they also attack the larvae and eat them.

The benefits of wax moth

Although the wax moth is a pest of beekeeping, it has unique healing properties. The larvae of these butterflies are used to treat various diseases. Beneficial features These insects were discovered over 100 years ago. Scientists have found that many pathogenic viruses and bacteria are surrounded by a protective shell that looks like wax. This shell is highly resistant to chemicals, and the enzymes of wax moth larvae can break down this shell. Microorganisms deprived of protection become harmless to human body.

Scientists have proven that wax moth larvae can neutralize many dangerous diseases, even Koch's bacillus, which causes the development of tuberculosis. In addition, the larvae of these butterflies have become a storehouse of vitality for people. important elements as they feed useful honey. Thanks to this, tiny wax moth larvae are able to restore many processes of the human body.

Tinctures from the larvae of these butterflies increase resistance to various infections and strengthen the immune system, have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular and nervous system, reduce fatigue, normalize blood sugar and blood pressure, accelerate the healing process of scars, prevent the formation of blood clots in the vessels.

Wax moth tinctures are used to treat tuberculosis, problems with respiratory, intestinal, cardiovascular diseases, to increase immunity and to speed up the recovery process after surgery.

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